How to Succeed at Corporate Event Planning For Any Occasion

Corporate events are an essential part of any business for a multitude of reasons — they can help relay important information to potential collaborators or clients, showcase products/new launches, or simply motivate employees. From conferences to workshops, corporate events can come in many different forms and the guest list can vary depending on the context.

Larger businesses or those with many connections often go for a larger guest list, which can be difficult to manage. The bigger an event is, the harder it is to plan and organize, especially with tight deadlines to abide by.

Fortunately, Superevent offers a simple and intuitive platform for any corporate event you may be planning, whether it’s virtual, in-person, or hybrid. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what corporate event planning is.

What is Corporate Event Planning?

Corporate events refer to any event that’s organized or paid for by a business. These events can be:

• Internal –  Target employees and stakeholders, or 
• External – aimed at third-party businesses looking to collaborate or potential clients.

Corporate event planning simply encompasses all that goes into organizing such events, from sending out invitations to managing venues.

There are a variety of corporate events that companies can plan depending on what their goals are. For example, if you want to promote a product, you can plan an exhibition or launch event. In this scenario, you’d be looking to invite potential clients or businesses you wish to work with.

Alternatively, if your aim is to reward employees, you can host a virtual Christmas office party using platforms like Superevent, which supports streaming. Corporate events can be entirely virtual, in-person, or a hybrid of the two. Hybrid events are the most versatile as they allow guests the freedom to choose between attending in person or through virtual means.

Types of Corporate Events

Conferences

A conference involves speaking about certain topics in front of an audience. They’re often aimed at professionals from the same industry or people who work with your company. The goal is to relay important information for the sake of improving business relations or educating guests. For example, you can discuss business opportunities or popular trends to inspire or motivate people.

Trade Shows / Exhibitions

Trade shows and exhibitions are events where businesses showcase their products in front of potential clients in order to promote them. Businesses will rent out a venue or space and place their products/services on display — usually on a screen in the form of a presentation. The goal is to educate attendees on the benefits of their products and how they function.

Hospitality

Hospitality refers to event sponsorships, where a business pays for a dinner or concert in exchange for promoting its product. For example, a business pays for a sporting event, where their brand logo is on display across the venue — it’s on the athletes’ uniforms, water bottles, the venue walls, and so on. The purpose is to increase brand awareness and build business relations.

AGMs

Board meetings (or annual general meetings) are where board members, stakeholders, and shareholders get together to discuss topics surrounding the company, such as performance. Some companies prefer to keep these events simple and formal but others like to use them as an opportunity to thank or reward shareholders.

Why Are Corporate Events Important?

It Builds Employee Engagement 

Corporate events can foster and encourage communication between employees. By placing employees together in a room or virtual space, they have more incentive to speak with one another and better their relationships. This can improve the work culture in your company and make employees feel closer as a community.

Improve Business Relations

Corporate events can help companies build and improve relations with other businesses and clients. Events like conferences and exhibitions are a great way of communicating with others in your industry while showcasing your value as a company. You can gain new clients or business collaborators, which can help boost your business.

Boost Company Morale

Corporate events are a great way to celebrate business milestones, such as exceeding goals or gaining a big-name client. Celebrations can boost morale in your company and improve productivity.

Employee Retention and Turnover Increase

Hosting corporate events can reward employees and make them feel more valued, which will encourage them to stay with your company and increase employee retention. Events like parties or award ceremonies can also give employees a break and prevent them from feeling overworked.

How to Plan a Corporate Event

Planning amazing events involves a lot of thought and care — you have to make sure to stay organized and keep in mind the event’s objectives. There are three main aspects to consider in corporate event planning: the budget/resources available to you, the guest list, and the actual event details (e.g. location, date).

Step 1: Identify Your Objectives & Resources

Firstly, you must decide what type of corporate event to plan. Lay out your objectives and the type of audience you’re aiming for. For example, if your objective is to promote your product to potential customers, plan an exhibition or trade show. You should also take into account the resources you have available when deciding on an event.

Additionally, think about whether the corporate event should be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. If you’re planning to receive a large number of guests, a hybrid event would be the most accommodating option, especially if you’re expecting international guests to attend. Platforms like Superevent support hybrid events with their streaming capabilities.

If you have very limited resources, a completely virtual event would save you a lot of money since you wouldn’t need to provide a venue or food/drinks.

Step 2: Develop Your Budget

Next, outline your event and all the resources you’ll need to purchase for it. This will help you determine your budget and whether the event is feasible. For example, if you’re planning an educational event like a conference, you will need a reasonably-sized room and a computer to showcase presentation slides.

Other resources can include:

• Food
• Refreshments/Drinks
• Chairs/Tables
• Product Samples
• Maps of the Venue/Building

Step 3: Make a List of Guests

Now that you’ve outlined the event and identified your budget, it’s time to make a guest list and start sending out invitations. Note down all the specific guests you want to invite and decide on the best invitation method.

For larger guest lists, emailing invitations digitally is more appropriate, especially if the guests are all from external parties. For internal guests like your employees, it may feel more heartfelt to send out physical invitation cards.

Step 4: Choose a Location/Setting

Now it’s time to choose a location or platform to host your event on. If it’s a physical event, you’ll need a venue or room to receive guests in. Events like trade shows usually require a physical space.

However, if it’s an event that primarily involves speaking, an all-in-one platform like Superevent would work just as well as a physical one. It saves guests from having to travel long distances and also saves your company a lot of money.

Superevent is built to support any type of corporate event, including virtual or hybrid ones. You can livestream and host Q&A sessions, as well as communicate with attendees. You can also build your own mobile event app to make it easy for guests to participate in your event.

Step 5:  Select a Date

After choosing a location, select a date for the event. Aim for a date when most of your guests are available.

Step 6: Decide Roles and Responsibilities

Now that all the event details have been sorted out, you have to start delegating roles and responsibilities to different people. You will need teams in charge of receiving guests, managing refreshments, setting up equipment, and so on. This is to ensure that the event planning runs smoothly and more efficiently.

Other roles can include:

• Conference Speaker
• IT Support
• Decorating Venues
• Managing RSVPs

Step 7: Begin to Promote Your Event

Finally, once your event has been sufficiently organized, it’s time to begin promoting your event and ensuring guests attend. Send out event calendars via email to remind guests to attend near the date.

If it’s a more open event or you wish to target a larger audience, you can create posters or landing pages discussing your event to advertise it online. Make sure to include the location and date so people know where and how to attend.

Social media is also a great platform for promoting events. You can even mention certain companies or professionals to get their attention.

Conclusion

Corporate event planning can vary depending on the event in question — the longer the event is, the more complex the planning process. It’s important to pay attention to your objectives and the satisfaction of your guests. 

Every corporate event requires a platform for receiving guests and facilitating communication, which Superevent provides for any type of professional event. We provide an intuitive tool for creating your own event app, where you can manage guests, livestream, and host Q&As. Try Superevent for free today to start customizing your event app.